Shell box carrier



May 10, 1955 M. w. YALE 2,708,063 -SHELL BOX CARRIER Filed April 9, 1954 INVENTOR zwkmze ATTORNEY hired 2,788,053 Fatented May ll), 1955 SHELL BOX CAlER Marion W. Yale, Salida, 60in.

Application April 9, 1954, Serial No. 422,156

6 (Zlaims. (Cl. 22 l-45) This invention relates to a novel carrier by means of which as many as four shotgun shell boxes may be conveniently supported and carried and which is primarily adapted for use by hunters and sportsmen carrying boxes of shotgun shells.

More particularly, it is an aim of the present invention a to provide a carrier of extremely simple construction which may be readily folded and retractced into a compact form so that it can be conveniently carreid in a garment pocket and which can be quickly and easily extended for holding and supporting four conventional boxes containing shotgun shells.

Another object of the invention is to provide a shell box car ier which is extremely light in weight, which may be very economically manufactured and sold, and which will be extremely efilcient and durable in use.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure l is a fragmentary side elevational view, partly in section, showing the carrier in full lines in an extended position for supporting boxes of shotgun shells;

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view thereof talten substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary bottom plan view, partly in section, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line il of Figure l, and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 5-5 of Figure 3.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the shell box carrier in its entirety and comprising the invention is designated generally 7 and includes a body portion, designated generally 8. The body portion 3 is principally composed of a sheet of metal which is relatively strong and rust resistant. Said sheet of metal, designated generally 9, is preferably formed of stainless steel of approximately 26 gauge and is folded upon itself intermediate of its ends to provide corresponding spaced walls ll? which are joined integrally at their upper ends by the fold 11 which constitutes the top edge of the body portion 8. Each end of the strip or sheet 9 is provided with two integral laterally spaced extensions, designated generally 12, which thus form extensions of the bottom edges of the walls It). Said extensions are turned outwardly and back upon themselves to provide two longitudinally spaced sleeve portions 13 below the bottom edge of each wall Ill, formed by portions of the extensions 12 which are located near the bottom edge of the wall ill). The sleeves 13 have restricted open upper portions 14, as seen in Figure 3, due to the fact that said extensions are spaced outwardly from the walls 19 and extend upwardly from outer parts of the sleeve portions 13 in slightly diverging relationship upwardly with respect to the walls 10. Each of the extensions 12 is substantially semicircular, as best seen in Figure 1. The body portion 8 also includes a spacing member having end portions 15 disposed between the ends of the walls and an intermediate portion 16 disposed between the bottom edges of the walls 10 and which spacing member 15, 16 maintains the walls 16 spaced apart substantially parallel relationship to one another. The end portions and intermediate portion 16 of the spacing member are secured in any suitable manner to the walls 10, as by spot welding, as seen at 17.

The carrier 7 also includes a bail type handle, designated generally 18, including spaced substantially parallel end portions 19 and 2.0 which extend slidably through openings 2]. and 22, respectively, provided in the folded top portion 11 near the ends thereof. The handle end 20 is provided with a short outturned terminal part 23 which is adapted to engage against the inner side of a portion or the folded upper part It The handle end 19 near its lover free end is provided with an opening 24, as best seen in Figure 5, to receive a cotter pin 26 or the like which is supported in said opening 24 between and substantially parallel to the Walls iii and Which is of suflicient length to prevent the lower end of the handle portion 39 sliding upwardly through the opening 21, due to engagement of the ends of the cotter pin 26 with the underside of the fold 11 beyond the ends of said opening 21. The handle 18 includes a part 27 formed integral with and extending between the upper ends of the end portions 19 and 2t and which is disposed substantially parallel to and outwardly of the upper part 11 ot' the body El, when the terminal portion 23 and the cotter pin 26 are in engagement with the underside of said part 11, as seen in Figure l. The handle part 27 has a substantially straight upwardly ofiset intermediate portion 28 on which a sleeve 29 is mounted and Which forms a handgrip.

The carrier '7 also includes a pair of corresponding shell box supporting members, designated generally 30 and 31, each of which is formed of a relatively heavy auge strand of wire of generally elongated rectangular shape including an outer longitudinal portion 32, constituting the intermediate part of the strand, substantially parallel corresponding end portions 33, and an interrupted inner longitudinal portion composed of the end portions 34; and 35 of the strand which are disposed substantially in alignment and in spaced apart relationship. The end portions 34 and 35 of the box support 3% turnably engage in the aligned sleeves 13 of one of the walls 10, and the end portions 34 and 35 of the other box support 31 go the other pair of aligned sleeves 13. The end portion 35 of the two box supports are located at ops of the body portion 8, as clearly illustrated in Said end portions 35 are longer than the end portions 3 and extend beyond the inner ends of the sleeves 13 in which they are journalled and terminate in laterally turned terminal portions 36 Which project in opposite directions to one another and which are disposed in side by side relationship when the box supports 3t} and iii are sposed in extended, substantially coplanar positions as seen in Figurees l to 3. When thus disposed, said terminal portions or stops 36 are disposed between the sleeve portions 13 located at each end of the body 8 and engage against intermediate bottom edge portions 37 of the walls it}, which are located between the sleeves l3, and against an intermediate part of the rod portion 16, as best illustrated in Figures 1 and 4. The stops 36 thus function to prevent the supports 30 and 31 from swinging outwardly and downwardly away from the walls 10 to beyond their coplanar positions, as illustrated in full lines in Figure 3.

With the supports 33 and 31 thus disposed, the carrier 3 7 is capable of supporting four conventional shotgun shell boxes, one of which is illustrated in section in Figure 3. Two such shell boxes, designated generally 38, are applied to each side of the body portion 3 and are inseitcd downwardly relatively to the carrier 7 so that the two extensions 12 of said side will extend upwardly into the rear portions of the shell boxes from the bottoms 39 thereof and on the inner sides of the lower portions of the rear walls 40 of said shell boxes. Thus, the lower portions of the rear walls of the shell boxes will be disposed between the extensions 12 and said adjacently disposed side wall 10. The shell boxes 38 are of a sumcient depth from front to rear so that the portions of the bottoms 39 thereof will rest upon and be supported by the outer longitudinal part 32 of the support 39 or 31 which extends outwardly from the side of the body 8 on which the shell boxes 38 are disposed. it will likewise be apparent that the other two shell boxes are similarly mounted on the opposite side of the body 8 so that a total of four shell boxes are supported in balanced relationship by the carrier 7 and are supported primarily by the outer support portions 32 and held in applied positions thereon by engagement of the extensions 12 within the shell boxes and against the rear walls 40 thereof. Thus, four boxes of shotgun shells may be very conveniently carried by means of a carrier 7. It will also be apparent that the carrier 7 is manually supported by grasping the handgrip 29 and when this is done and a lifting force applied thereto, that the handle 18 will slide upwardly relatively to the body 8 until its upward movement, relatively to the body 8, is stopped by engagement of the handle portions 23 and 26 against the underside of the top portion 11.

It will also be readily apparent that the shell boxes 38 can be readily removed from the carrier 7 by merely lifting upwardly thereon. When the carrier 7 is not in use, the supports 30 and 31 may be swung upwardly and inwardly toward the walls 10, due to the fact that the portions 34 and 35 thereof are turnably contained in the sleeves 13. The end portions 33 of the supports 30 and 31 are longer than the extensions 12 so that the outer portion 32 may be disposed substantially against the sides 10 and above the extensions 12 when said supports are in folded positions, as illustrated in dotted lines of Figure 3. It will also be apparent that when the handgrip 29 is released that the handle ends 19 and 20 will slide downwardly through the openings 21 and 22, respectively, to position the handle 18 in a retracted position as illustrated in dotted lines of Figure 1 or in even a further retracted position and wherein the handle portion 27 is disposed in engagement with the top portion 11. The carrier 7 can obviously be made in various sizes, but when collapsed, as just previously described, is approximately eight and one-quarter inches long, three and one-half inches wide and three-eighths of an mch thick, in its preferred size, so as to conveniently fit m a garment pocket.

The carrier 7, with the exception of the handgrrp 29, may be formed of rust-proof metal. The handgrip 29 may be formed of the same material or of a cushioning material, if preferred.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A shell box carrier of the character described comprising an elongated body portion having adjacently dlS- posed side walls, said side walls having top edges and bottom edges, at least one shell box engaging and holding member extending upwardly from the bottom edge of each side wall, said shell box engaging and holding members being spaced outwardly from said side walls and having upper free ends, at least one sleeve portion disposed beneath and supported by each side wall, a pair of shell box supports formed of wire having straight inner portions journalled in said sleeve portions, said inner portions each including a laterally turned terminal portion disposed beyond an end of the sleeve engaged by said inner portion and forming a stop, said laterally turned terminal portions engaging portions of the bottom edges of said side walls for maintaining said box supports in substantially coplanar positions normal to the plane of said body portion, said box supports having outer portions spaced outwardly from said sleeves, when said box supports are disposed coplanar, and adapted to he engaged by bottom portions of shell boxes supported by the carrier on opposite sides of said body portion, said shell box engaging and holding members being adapted to extend upwardly into the shell boxes on the inner sides of rear walls thereof and cooperating with said supports for maintaining the shell boxes in position on the carrier, and a bail type handle having end portions connected to a top part of said body portion and disposed thereabove and longitudinally thereof.

2. A shell box carrier as in claim 1, each of said side walls being provided with two longitudinally spaced shell box engaging and holding members and with two longitudinally spaced aligned sleeves, each of said shell box supports being formed from a strand of heavy gauge wire having aligned end portions journalled in two of the aligned sleeves and constituting the inner portion thereof, one of said end portions having the laterally turned terminal portion of the inner portion thereof, said laterally turned terminal portions being disposed between said aligned sleeves.

3. A shell box carrier as in claim 2, said side walls, sleeves and the shell box engaging and holding members being integrally formed from a piece of sheet metal including a bent intermediate portion connecting upper ends of said side walls and constituting said top part of the body portion.

4. A shell box carrier as in claim 3, and a spacing member having end portions disposed between and secured to end portions of said side walls and an interiediate portion disposed between and secured to said side walls adjacent the bottom edges thereof.

5. A shell box carrier as in claim 4, said shell box supports being swingable upwardly and inwardly to folded positions substantially against opposite sides of the body portion, said inner portions of the box supports turning in said sleeves during swinging movement of the box supports, and said shell box supports including end portions connecting the inner and outer portions thereof and of a length such that said outer portions are disposed above the upper ends of said shell box engaging and holding members when said box supports are in folded positions.

6. A shell box carrier as in claim 1, said end portions of the handle being slidably disposed in the top of the body portion for inward sliding movement of the handle relatively to the body portion toward a retracted position, and stop means provided on said end portions of the handle for limiting movement of the handle outwardly of the body portion toward an extended position.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,411,695 Hackett Apr. 4, 1922 2,405,753 Morgan Aug. 13, 1946 2,646,911 Holmberg July 28, 1953 

